Thoughts

I write a lot. Essays. Articles. Blog posts. All of them sharing what I’m thinking about. Maybe you think about these things, too.

Is Technology a Writer’s Friend?
Jeannette de Beauvoir Jeannette de Beauvoir

Is Technology a Writer’s Friend?

I really liked this book. It was fun to write. But it took me rather a long time to write it—this was quite a while before I became a fulltime writer. And something happened between my starting the novel and finishing it.

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Write Like an Actor
Jeannette de Beauvoir Jeannette de Beauvoir

Write Like an Actor

How would an actor approach your protagonist? How would they take your description and the situation into which you’ve plunged the character, and make that character unforgettable?

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Why Stories?
Jeannette de Beauvoir Jeannette de Beauvoir

Why Stories?

Yes, it’s true: I live in my head. Wherever my current story ideas take me. To Cuba or Nepal or California. With people who sing, or tend cows, or—sometimes—commit murder. And those places and those people are real. They may not even make it out of my head, but for the time they’re there? They are still very real.

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What’s in a Name?
Jeannette de Beauvoir Jeannette de Beauvoir

What’s in a Name?

My characters come to life as I write, not before. They shift and morph and often change the entire narrative arc of my stories. They become who they are in chapter five, or eight, or ten. So the name I started with generally just doesn’t fit the character as they emerge, as they talk with other characters, as they make choices, as they tell me where the book needs to go.

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Stuck? Try a Character Tarot Read!
fiction Jeannette de Beauvoir fiction Jeannette de Beauvoir

Stuck? Try a Character Tarot Read!

Doing a Tarot read for one or more of your characters is a terrific way of seeing them in another light, giving you ideas for their personalities and histories, and providing a little more depth to the way you write them for your readers.

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Is It Real? Is It a Forgery? Does Anyone Even Know?
About The World Jeannette de Beauvoir About The World Jeannette de Beauvoir

Is It Real? Is It a Forgery? Does Anyone Even Know?

I’ve been immersed in the world of high-end art forgeries, and as usual am following every rabbit down every hole in sight. Some of the most high-profile art forgers went on to become celebrities in their own right, with plenty of contemporary collectors still willing to knowingly pay thousands for counterfeits.

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Is Fiction a Lie?
About Fiction Jeannette de Beauvoir About Fiction Jeannette de Beauvoir

Is Fiction a Lie?

The fact that these truths are wrapped up in a story is what gives them power. It contextualizes them and shows, sometimes dramatically, what they mean to us.

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Opening Your Story
About Your Writing Jeannette de Beauvoir About Your Writing Jeannette de Beauvoir

Opening Your Story

The first rule of opening a story is to start the way you mean to continue. Your first few sentences should capture the voice that you’ll be using to tell the rest of the story. They should also present a point of view, a hint of characterization, and the beginnings of your plot. The opening is what gives the reader direction and momentum.

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